THE NEW YORKER's "The Duel -- The Trump and Cruz campaigns embody opposite views of politics

[ancianita]

and the future of the G.O.P."

There is Trump, the media-created populist. There is Cruz, the political insider going for hostile takeover. Two GOP visions.

When I read this, I realize how democracy is so much a struggle that people do want simply to be led by strong men. I'm not of that population, but they are legion.

Ideas brought forward here include how much Trump as a TV entertainer has entered into the political imaginations of his followers, so much so that he can do a call and response with his audiences, like "Who's gonna pay for the wall?" and the crowd yells back, "Mexico!" or "Schlonged!" That 'Trumpetts,' oblivious of political norms, are the politically alienated folks who are struggling to get by in an economy they no longer understand.

Then there is a section on the history of a party that used to be but is no longer in control of its nominating process. As I read I wondered, too, if that's happening within our Democratic Party.

The New Yorker has had, over the last two months, one full feature article on each candidate.

Perhaps this article gets a wide readership that's not part of the Trump imaginary. Living in this Big Country, it's my belief that we need a clearer map of our people these days than we do of our leaders.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/02/01/the-duel-faceoff-ryan-lizza

[randys1]

1. Is that sign for real?

Trump absolutely DESPISES Christians.

[ancianita]

2. It's not from the article, just Google images. Sometimes I can tell a photoshop, but not this time.

[ancianita]

7. It's a Getty Image, not fake. So that probably tells you something about his crowds.

[Xipe Totec]

3. Cruz, the political insider? That's nuts.

The guy is a lose cannon that's managed to piss off just about everybody on both sides. If this was the Roman senate he would already have 99 knives stuck on his back.

[ancianita]

4. Seeing it from the writer's view, as a candidate from Princeton, Harvard, SCOTUS clerk, Solicitor

General of Texas and Senator, whether he represents the conservative mainstream or not.

"Insider" has a lot more meanings than how he wants to present himself to the electorate for votes -- he is working small towns right now -- and that's his hype. Maybe you believe the hype?

[Xipe Totec]

5. Maybe I believe the hype? What the hell does that mean?

[ancianita]

6. Calm down. I gave a summary of the article, then you react from some other context.

I defined what the article defines as "insider," then you say "that's nuts." Instead of "What the hell does that mean?", why not just read the article and see what I tried to present from it.

This thread is about a Good Read. It's an attempt to get people to read the article, not argue with my summary of it.